SS Kamp Vught

Discussion in 'The Holocaust' started by 51highland, Oct 5, 2007.

  1. 51highland

    51highland Very Senior Member

    Not sure if anyone else has been to this ex SS Concentration camp. Part of it is still in use by the Dutch Military, obviously part of it, crematorium, huts etc are kept as a museum / National Monument.

    Attached Pic is a Aerial view of the Camp taken, I think in 1944. Notice the Nazi shaped cross, this was, indeed still is there, the German quarters for guards etc.

    I was lucky enough to be given a guided tour of the whole camp, including that which is in use today. Stood on the balcony of the main admin building which overlooked the area of appel of the prisoners. The buildings that were occupied by the commandant, his staff and the guards were/are quite magnificent. Which only heightens the visitors sense of abhorrance at the surroundings that the inmates had to endure.

    Again the camp, like most others, is surrounded by trees.
     

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  2. Owen

    Owen -- --- -.. MOD

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  3. von Poop

    von Poop Adaministrator Admin

    Any idea what the three clover shaped things towards the bottom of the picture are?
    They look like fortifications.
     
  4. Slipdigit

    Slipdigit Old Hickory Recon

    They sure do, VP.
     
  5. von Poop

    von Poop Adaministrator Admin

    Some interesting pages on the Dutch Camp system:
    Deportations from the Netherlands
    Transit Camps in the Netherlands
    Vught Concentration Camp (Holland)


    There seems to have been some controversy broken out about the excellent Deathcamps.org site, looks like another copy of it has been posted under death-camps.org ('-' added) with dodgy links to denialists and a claimed attempt to profit from the Holocaust??.
    ARC Copyright & Free Use!
    Could be worth establishing for certain which is the right one as both sites have claims to be the original... very odd.
     
  6. Owen

    Owen -- --- -.. MOD

    Any idea what the three clover shaped things towards the bottom of the picture are?
    They look like fortifications.
    Vauban era forts?
    edit, there is a star shaped fort in a lake due east of these.
    another edit. been googling about defences south of s'hertenbosch which these are part of.
    Others being Fort Isabella and Fort St Anthonie.
    Actually think they are later than Vauban. They are alot bigger. I've read they were built 19th Century to guard against Belgium.
    I think this is them.
    GPS wandelingen/wandelen/wandeltochten in binnen- en buitenland
    Lunetten Vught
    De Lunetten in Vught, gebouwd in de vorm van een halve maan, werden in opdracht van koning Willem III aangelegd. Deze werken vormden samen met fort Isabella de zuidelijke linie rond 's-Hertogenbosch.
    Translates as,
    The Lunetten in Vught, built in the form of a half moon, became on the order of king Willem III aangelegd. These work formed together with fort Isabella the southern line around 's-Hertogenbosch.
     
  7. Owen

    Owen -- --- -.. MOD

    Here they are.
    Tijdens de Belgische Revolutie waarbij België onafhankelijk werd van het Verenigd Koninkrijk der Nederlanden, werden op de lijn Cromvoirt - Helvoirt - Esch een aantal voorwerken gebouwd. Na de onafhankelijkheid van België zijn deze vervangen door de lunetten in Vught. Er zijn er acht gegraven en gebouwd.

    During the Belgian Revolution by which Belgium independently became of the United Kingdom of the the Netherlands, became on the line Cromvoirt - Helvoirt - Esch a number furrow work built. To the independence of Belgium its these replace through the lunetten in Vught. There have been dug and built there eight.

    Vestingwerken ('s-Hertogenbosch - Wikipedia)

    [​IMG]
     
  8. 51highland

    51highland Very Senior Member

    The large buildings to the right of the picture, originally part of the camp which housed the inmates, is now a top security prison, some really bad boys in there.
     
  9. 51highland

    51highland Very Senior Member

    Thought you might like a clip of Kamp vught, or whats there for people to see.[​IMG]
     
  10. Wim Kievits

    Wim Kievits Member

    All, the 'clover shaped things' in fact are lunettes (French) meaning 'half moon' meant to protect military units, even an army, against enemy fire. The star-shaped fortress Isabella would supply covering fire over the dutch troops on the progressing enemy troops whenever these would march towards 's-Hertogenbosch. This stronghold, built around 1848 however never saw any action. The lunettes lay in a half circular distance around the town of Vught to safeguard the military troops and eventually allow for a defensive retreat across the Meuse back into the heartland of the Netherlands.

    For this platform it is good to know that lunette II during the war was transformed from a shooting range into the horrible place where hundreds of prisoners from the closeby concentration camp where executed. Nowadays it's a national monument for those that have been executed there.
     
  11. 51highland

    51highland Very Senior Member

    Just returned from an emotional, humbling and honoured visit to Holland. I attended SS Kamp Vught and donated a few items including my Fathers Cameron Kilt. It has at last been established beyond doubt that 5th Camerons were indeed the first Allied soldiers to enter the camp. The attached was in the local paper.

    Kilt en baret van Britse bevrijder na 75 jaar weer terug in Vught
    Bevrijding 75 jaarVUGHT - Komend vanuit Sint-Michielsgestel stuitte bevrijder George Sands op 26 oktober 1944 op het eerste concentratiekamp, ‘SS-Konzentrationslagers Herzogenbusch’. Sands was 27 jaar oud en sergeant in de Schotse Queens Own Cameron Highlanders. Vijfenzeventig jaar later staan zoon Richard en kleinzoon Spencer op dezelfde plek mét in hun handen een bijzonder cadeau.
    Sands draagt deze vrijdagochtend de kilt en de baret van zijn overleden vader over aan Jeroen van den Eijnde, directeur van Nationaal Monument Kamp Vught. Dat gebeurt voor de spiksplinternieuwe expositiezuil die gewijd is aan de bevrijding van Vught én het kamp.

    Kilt and beret of British liberator are back in Vught after 75 years
    Liberation 75 year VUGHT - Coming from Sint-Michielsgestel, liberator George Sands encountered the first concentration camp, "SS-Konzentrationslagers Herzogenbusch" on 26 October 1944. Sands was 27 years old and a sergeant in the Scottish Queens Own Cameron Highlanders. Seventy-five years later, son Richard and grandson Spencer are in the same place with a special gift in their hands.
    This Friday morning, Sands hands over the kilt and beret of his deceased father to Jeroen van den Eijnde, director of National Monument Camp Vught. That happens for the brand new exhibition column that is dedicated to the liberation of Vught and the camp.
     

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  12. stolpi

    stolpi Well-Known Member

    Well done Richard!
     
  13. 51highland

    51highland Very Senior Member

    The Jewish Kinder memorial particularly upset my son, Spencer. In total 1800 children were transported to other more horrendous camps. During June 6th & 7th 1943, 1269 children were disposed of on what they call the Kinder Transport. Their ages ranged from 2 months to 16 years old. All the names are punched out in the columns on the memorial.
     

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